Media industry

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A consumer privacy group has filed a challenge to Facebook's $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, saying it is not "adequate, reasonable or appropriate" and lets the social media giant off the hook for years of violations. The Washington-based Electronic...

FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2011, file photo, Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif. U.S. regulators are approving T-Mobile's $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, despite fears of higher prices and job cuts. The approval on Friday, July 26, 2019, by the Justice Department and five state attorneys general comes after Sprint and T-Mobile agreed to conditions that would set up satellite-TV provider Dish as a fourth wireless company, so the number of major U.S. providers remains at four. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on approval of T-Mobile's Sprint takeover (all times local): 1:35 p.m. T-Mobile CEO John Legere says he's hoping to engage with state attorneys general who have sued to block its $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint. Legere says he believes the deal can close by the end of...

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg speaks to the media during a press conference in Sydney, Friday, July 26, 2019. The Australian government released report that recommends more regulation on the market power of multinational digital platforms including Google and Facebook that would ensure fair deals for other media businesses and more control for individuals over how their data is used. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government released a report Friday recommending tighter oversight over multinational digital platforms including Google and Facebook, to ensure fairness for other media businesses and give people more control over how their data is used. The Australian...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is suing Google for $50 million, accusing the internet company of suspending her advertising account in the hours after last month's debate because it was trying to silence her. Tulsi Now Inc., a campaign committee for the candidate...

FILE - This Friday, March 22, 2019, file photo shows the Department of Justice Building in Washington. The U.S. Department of Justice is opening a sweeping antitrust investigation of major technology companies and whether their online platforms have hurt competition, suppressed innovation or otherwise harmed consumers. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like Europe before it, the U.S. government looks ready to try reining in its technology giants. But doing so may be more difficult than it seems. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a sweeping antitrust investigation of major technology companies and whether their...

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2018, file photo, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, leaves federal court after his sentencing in New York. Federal prosecutors have told a judge in New York Wednesday, July 17, 2019, that they have concluded their investigation into campaign finance violations committed by Cohen. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said that the conclusion of the case clears the way for the public release of sealed search warrant materials dealing with the investigation. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have told a judge in New York they have concluded their investigation into campaign finance crimes committed by President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen. The closure of the case is the strongest suggestion yet that federal prosecutors have decided...

FILE - This March 28, 2018, file photo shows a Facebook logo at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook’s ambitious plan to create a new financial system based on a digital currency faces questions from lawmakers, as it’s shadowed by negative comments from President Donald Trump, his Treasury secretary and the head of the Federal Reserve. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on congressional hearings on the reach of big tech (all times local): 4:40 p.m. The chairman of a House antitrust panel investigating the tech industry repeatedly reminded an Amazon executive he was under oath as he grilled him over the company's business practices...

FILE - This March 28, 2018, file photo shows a Facebook logo at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook’s ambitious plan to create a new financial system based on a digital currency faces questions from lawmakers, as it’s shadowed by negative comments from President Donald Trump, his Treasury secretary and the head of the Federal Reserve. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under sharp criticism from senators, a Facebook executive on Tuesday defended the social network's ambitious plan to create a digital currency and pledged to work with regulators to achieve a system that protects the privacy of users' data. "We know we need to take the time to get...

FILE - In this April 30, 2019, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes the keynote speech at F8, Facebook's developer conference in San Jose, Calif. A Wall Street Journal report says that the FTC has voted this week to approve a fine of about $5 billion for Facebook over privacy violations. The report Friday, July 12, 2019, cites an unnamed person familiar with the matter. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

At $5 billion, the fine the FTC is about to levy on Facebook is by far the largest it's given to a technology company, easily eclipsing the second largest, $22 million for Google in 2012. The long-expected punishment, which Facebook is well prepared for, is unlikely to make a dent in the social...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used a White House conference Thursday to applaud far-right social media provocateurs even as he conceded that some of them are extreme in their views. Trump, who has weaponized social media to eviscerate opponents and promote himself, led a "social media...